


You and me against the world, M’lady

by Helgabat



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Ladynoir July 2020, One Shot Collection, Some prompts are sad, lots of fluff, others are fluffy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:21:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25014643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Helgabat/pseuds/Helgabat
Summary: In the city of Light, two silhouettes dance around each other, they can't know each other identities, but they sure can share their troubles, and their hardships, developing their friendship along the way and perhaps becoming more than best friends.Collection of drabbles for Ladynoir July 2020.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 7
Kudos: 30





	1. The Wall Between Us

**Author's Note:**

> Day 1: The wall between us  
> Chat Noir is oddly silent during the battle, and Marinette needs to know what's wrong with her kitty, even if her heart breaks along the way.

"LUCKY CHARM!" Marinette screamed, and a spotted fork immediately fell to her hands. Really, did Hawkmoth never sleep? It was 2 AM already, and it was a school night, so all Marinette should be doing, _wanted_ to be doing was sleep. But of course, Hawkmoth could not have that, maybe this was a new tactic of his, to run the heroes of Paris ragged, and let exhaustion be the true winner. The victim was a student who felt overwhelmed over the stupid amount of work they had. Seriously, professors should be more lenient towards their students, especially when a supervillain who strives on negative emotions is on the loose.

Chat was busy distracting "Exotherman", God even his name was lame, while Marinette thought of a strategy to defeat him with a fork, once again courtesy of Tikki. But as she looked around, she also noticed how strangely quiet Chat Noir was. Perhaps he was just tired since this was, in fact, the 4th-night Akuma they had in a week, but Chat had also stopped punning, adding that to the fact that he didn't call her "M'lady" once, and Marinette was worried sick.

“Ladybug!” Marinette heard Chat screaming, and she barely dodged the fiery blast intended for her. Right, she had to focus on the battle. Once again Paris depended on its heroes, even though said heroes were running on fumes alone after almost a week of getting almost no sleep.

Her earrings beeped and Marinette looked at the spotted fork in her hand, and the cogs inside her brain started to work again, like a well-oiled machine. But of course! The solution was right in front of her!

So, after one meticulously placed “Cataclysm” and one “Miraculous Ladybug”, the victim was back to his normal self, and his friends were already next to him, asking all kinds of questions that the student had no answers. They climbed to a rooftop near the scene, effectively avoiding the journalists who were arriving at the spot.

“Pound it!” Chat Noir was definitely gloomy, the way he lightly pounded her fist, the silent sigh he released right before saying the familiar words. Something was wrong with her partner, and Marinette would get to the bottom of it.

“Right… I have to go…” Chat numbly informed her.

“Wait!” Marinette grabbed his arm, causing him to flinch slightly and her heart sank. “Is everything okay, Chat?” Her earrings beeped and she cursed. Why couldn’t they have unlimited time like the adult miraculous owners had!

“You should go, Ladybug. You’re about to transform back.” Chat tried to dodge her question.

“Nu-uh! Don’t think you can get away with it, Chat.”

“Seriously, LB, I’m fine!” Gosh, his smile was so fake! Did he think he could fool her? They were best friends, Marinette could read him like an open book. She looked around the rooftops and noticed a tall chimney nearby. It would have to do.

“Chat, you know you can tell me whatever is going on in your life! As long as we don’t compromise our identities, we can share everything.” Marinette looked gingerly at her stubborn partner. “Look, I’m almost out of time, how about we go to that chimney over there, and we stay on opposite sides. I have food for Tikki with me, so I can transform back, and you tell me what’s bugging you.”

Suddenly, the despondent look on Chat’s face morphed into a smirk, his eyes lighting in amusement “Was that a pun I just heard coming from you, M’lady?”

“Well, it was enough for you to start calling me M’lady again!” The weight she was previously feeling in her chest suddenly dissipated almost completely, “So, can we talk now?”

Marinette hoped that Chat was quick in his decision, she would transform back at any moment. Thankfully, he nodded not even a second later, and so each of them jumped to their respective side of the chimney right in the nick of time for that matter, since a pink light engulfed Marinette as she returned to her civilian self, and an exhausted Tikki fell to her hands. “Can you tell me what’s wrong now, kitty?” She picked a macaron from her purse and gently gave it to Tikki.

“It’s just that…” Marinette heard him slump to the floor, “Well, it’s kind of stupid, to be honest…”

“I’m sure it isn’t stupid, Chat…” She heard him sigh softly.

“I… M’lady, you know that I love you, right?” Her heart started to race, the weight on her stomach came back a hundred times heavier than ever before.

“Chat, you know we can’t be together…” Her eyes got misty and her face was starting to feel warm, “I already like another boy…”, Marinette looked up, “Besides, I can’t love you…” She murmured, images of a grim alternative timeline featuring a lonely, bleached version of her partner flashed through her mind.

“I know… I know that... it’s just that…” Chat paused, “I think I’m in love with another girl… She’s always been a friend to me, and now, I’ve started to spend more time with her, only her, and I got to know her better. I guess she always held a special place in my heart, but now… now I see it as clear as water… and I feel terrible.”

Marinette’s heart plummeted. She should be happy for Chat! He was finally moving on, and she didn’t have to break his heart anymore. So… Why was she feeling this strange weight in her gut?

She wanted to be happy for him, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. “Why, uh, why do you feel terrible, Chat Noir?” Marinette stuttered, trying to contain the tears gathering in her eyes. God, why was she feeling like the floor under her feet has been ripped away?

“Because I love you.” He answered as the reason was obvious.

“And you love her…”. A shiver ran down her spine as her heart sank into an ice pit.

“And I love her…”. Marinette heard him sniff.

Her peripheral vision caught the green light, and her hair floated with the soft swoosh signalling his return to his civilian self. She heard rustling. Chat was probably fetching some food for his kwami. Her eyes drifted to Tikki who stopped eating her macaron so she could glance at her and give her a reassuring nod.

“Chat, I don’t know what to say…”

They spent some minutes in silence, it wasn’t tense or uncomfortable, but it wasn’t also like the familiar silence that fell upon them while they were patrolling. It was just silence, as simple as that. Her brain couldn’t stop shifting to selfish thoughts. She could stand up and run to his arms, stroke his soft golden locks, and whisper in his ear that everything would be alright, while she drowned herself in the sea that was his peridot eyes. God, when did she start to think of Chat Noir like that? He just sneaked his way into her heart, occupying a place right next to where her love for Adrien rested. Maybe it was the late meetings that Marinette shared with Chat on her balcony, where she got to know him better than anyone ever could. Spending time with him made her realise that Chat wasn’t only this flamboyant, flirty, larger than life boy. He actually managed to become really small when something was wearing him down. She learned that he was a lonely boy, dropped on this world with no one to look after him. His family was distant, and he always looked down at his feet when she talked of her mum, so she knew better than to ask him if he got along with his mother. He was kind, although she already knew that, and incredibly naive too! He always believed in the best of people, and sometimes Marinette worried if someone would take advantage of that.

Tikki looked up to her, her smiling face telling her that she was ready to transform. Marinette sighed, and she got up. She murmured her transformation phrase and a pink light suddenly enveloped her, turning her into the famous hero of Paris. She heard him mutter his own transformation words.

They both stepped away from their respective sides of the chimney, meeting face to face once again.

“Chat!” Marinette rested her hands on his shoulders. She let herself get lost in his loving gaze, “You are free to love whoever you want. If you love this girl, then don’t let her go! She’s a really lucky girl for having you in her life.” It probably wasn’t what he wanted to hear, since he immediately broke their eye contact. But they couldn’t be together, Marinette saw what happened if their relationship evolved from a close friendship to something else. And Chat deserved to be happy, even if it was with another girl.

“I don’t think I’ll ever stop loving you, M’lady…” His eyes were puffy and red, his face was wet, and Marinette could see how his lower lip trembled, trying to contain a fresh wave of tears.

Her fingers searched for his face, and she rested a hand on his cheek, while the other gently caressed his hair, eliciting an involuntary purr from him, “Probably, but you’ll also love this other girl. And that is okay! We will always be friends; you won’t lose me. You deserve to be happy, Chat Noir!”

He smiled at her, and that was enough for her entire being to recuperate from the cold she was feeling inside, for a fresh wave of pure energy to hit her all at once. When had he started to hold such power over her? “Thank you, M’lady. You deserve to be happy too, you know? Go after that boy of yours, sweep him off his feet. And if he doesn’t fall to his knees after you declare your love for him, well, then he’s an idiot!”

“You silly cat!” Marinette laughed with him, suddenly the air around them felt much lighter.

A mellow chuckle replaced Chat’s laughter as he kept looking at her lovingly. He took a step closer, and her heart started to beat faster once again. “Thank you, Ladybug! You always know how to brighten my day!” He delicately said. Soft lips touched her skin, and all Marinette’s blood rushed to her face. She stopped breathing while Chat Noir kissed her cheek, her brain halting all function while her eyes widened, and she gaped in utter shock. He looked at her once again, his eyes reaching something deep inside of her, “Have a good evening, M’lady.” He whispered and took off, leaving an astonished Marinette alone on that rooftop.


	2. Stargazing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien and Ladybug share a picnic under the stars.

Patrol was by far the highest moment in Adrien’s week. Both he and Ladybug were getting overwhelmed by the crazy amount of schoolwork, on top of Akuma attacks and their extracurricular activities, and so, and for Adrien’s misery, their nightly meetings had to be cut short to once a week. Nevertheless, Adrien would take the most out of it, every minute that he spent with his lady was precious, he couldn’t give himself the luxury of wasting them.

Today, however, he was exhausted! His tiredness could be explained by an accumulation of the last week’s increasing hours of modelling, photoshoots upon photoshoots constantly sneaking their way into his schedule, followed by an intense fencing training every morning before classes started in preparation for an upcoming tournament, the piano lessons that lasted for at least two hours, by his father insistence, the Akuma attacks that also didn’t give any of the heroes a break, and the lonesome meals were all taking a toll on him. Besides, today he couldn’t go to Marinette’s, she said she wouldn’t be home that night, she had a family event or something like that. He couldn’t exactly tell what plans she had for the night since she stumbled upon her words too much for a congruent phrase to be comprehended. It shouldn’t matter what she had planned anyway, she didn’t owe him an explanation, and yet, he was still bummed that he wouldn’t be seeing her.

_Beep beep!_ He looked at the lit screen of his baton, noticing the text Ladybug had just sent him, “ _Good Evening, Chaton! I have a surprise for you! Come meet me at our spot! Bug out!”_ He smiled goofily. What had his lady prepared for him? She never failed to impress him.

Adrien vaulted through the rooftops, as fast as his exhausted body could go. He got to the Notre Dame tower where they usually started patrol, and there she was. In all her majestic glory, sitting on a towel, next to a large basket, which he suspected contained some delicious treats inside. She was gazing at the shining Parisian view, transfixed by its beauty, so she didn’t seem to notice his arrival. Adrien smirked.

Silently tiptoeing until he was right behind her, he crouched to her height stealthily, “Evening, M’lady!”, Adrien greeted her in a louder than normal tone, exactly the volume he knew would startle her.

As expected, Ladybug jumped, almost knocking her head on his chin, “CHAAAT! You scared me!!” Despite her annoyed voice tone, Adrien could see a slight smirk gracing her lips.

“Awww, buguinette, you looked so peaceful staring at the view, I didn’t want to disturb you!” He teased her, flicking one of her ponytails.

Ladybug lightly slapped his hand away from her hair, “Well, since you’ve decided to be such a brat tonight, I guess I have no other option but to take this picnic basket home!” She booped his nose and chuckled, “Guess I’ll have to feed these croissants to the stray cat that visits me every night!”

Adrien gasped dramatically at this new revelation, not only was she taking the croissants he loved away, but another cat was keeping her company?? “Noooo, Buguinette! I promise I’ll behave!” To prove his point, he sat on the chequered towel, his hands resting on his legs to keep them from bouncing in excitement.

“Well, since you promised!” She sat right next to him, stretching right over his lap to reach the basket that was just next to Adrien. His cheeks went immediately scarlet, and his heart must have doubled its rate. God, this girl had such an effect on him! She had him right on the palm of her hand, Ladybug would be the death of him. Let it be known, Adrien Agreste would die because Ladybug, Paris darling, would kill him with her beauty and angelical grace!

And the worst, the absolute worst, is that she knew exactly what she was doing! She could have asked him to grab the basket, but nooo… She really wanted to end him, uh? Hawkmoth was an amateur next to his lady. She was the real criminal mastermind in Paris for what she was doing to him.

“-at…”

God, could his face get any warmer? He swore his blood had been entirely deployed to it so that LB could see exactly what she had done to him.

“-hat…”

If his heart continued to pump at this rate, Adrien would have a heart attack, he was certain of it.

“CHAT!!” His attention immediately drifted to her. Ladybug was holding a pain au chocolat, her eyes had this sparkle Adrien was used to seeing when she was amused with something, although her face was trying to pull a blank expression. “Do you want this pain au chocolat or not?”

“What?” He asked in a daze.

“Hello! Earth to Chat Noir!!” Ladybug mocked him, lightly knocking on his head.

“I’m here!” He jumped, finally realising what Ladybug was offering to him. He could never say no to those heavenly sweets she brought from time to time. They were on par with the pastries Marinette offered him every time he visited, and those had no competition in Paris. He grabbed the pastry, while Ladybug took a croissant from the basket for herself.

She wasn’t exactly talkative, but neither was he. They ate the pastries in pleasant silence, although Adrien was still a bit confused about why they were skipping patrol to have a picnic.

“Uh… LB?” Her eyes were closed, a pleased smile was gracing her lips while she slowly chewed on her croissant.

“Yes, kitty?” His heart jumped a beat at hearing the affective nickname Ladybug sometimes used for him.

“Why are we doing this? I, I mean, not that I’m not loving to spend some quality time alone with you in this romantic setting.” He wiggled his eyebrows, flirting with Ladybug to mask his nervousness.

“Well, I don’t know about you, but my life is kind of chaotic right now, and Hawkmoth has not been going easy on us. I just thought we deserved a night off, that’s all.” Her bluebell eyes established contact with his own, and his brain immediately turned into a jumbled mess. Seriously… How could he have any rational thought when his lady looked at him with that gentle expression of hers. Was she even aware of the power she had on him? How, with only a simple look, could she freeze his entire being and capture his heart to be forever hers? Some of Hawkmoth’s Akumas must have taken refuge in his belly, he could feel them inside as Adrien kept watching Ladybug in all her grace munching on her croissant. He knew that if he stood in front of a mirror at that moment, his face would be the same colour as his lady’s suit.

He needed to distract himself with something else, otherwise, his brain would start to make up these crazy scenarios and he wouldn’t be able to deal with them, especially not in front of Ladybug. Damn those teenage hormones!

Adrien looked up to the clear night sky, gazing at the stars above them. Physics was always a passion of his, especially Astronomy. He remembered spending countless nights alone in his room, back when he only had Chloé in his life, gazing through his floor-to-ceiling windows. He owned several stars charts, and his mum had also gifted him a next-gen telescope so he could further feed his passion. He had learned all the constellations, and it was those that had kept him company and helped him stay grounded when he was going through the painful grief his mum’s disappearance had brought upon his life.

“What are you looking at?” Ladybug looked down at him. When had he lied down on that rooftop? Adrien was so distracted gazing up at the sky, that he hadn’t noticed the change of position he had adopted. The fact was that he was currently lying on his back. And his Lady had asked him a question. “I’m only looking at the stars… They look so pretty, tonight. Almost as pretty as you, m’lady!” He chuckled.

“Silly kitty! And here I thought you were finally thinking of something smart for a change.” She teased him, and Adrien put a hand on his chest, gasping dramatically while a pleasant warmth spread through his chest.

“Seriously Chat! You are awfully distracted today. Something wrong?”

Adrien shrugged, “Nothing’s wrong, Buguinette. Don’t worry. I guess I’m just more tired than usual tonight.” His eyes drifted to her face, and his heart missed another beat. Maybe Adrien should ask his father if he could see a doctor, these many palpitations were definitely not normal.

Ladybug lied on her back, her body turned in the opposite direction to his, with her head right next to his shoulder, so close that he could feel the heat radiating from her, and that was enough for his brain to lose any kind of logical thoughts once again.

He avoided turning his head towards her, Adrien knew he wouldn’t be able to resist kissing her lips if he did so.

He heard her huff, “I swear, no matter how many times I read about constellations, I can never identify them. Like, for example, I know that “W” is one, but I don’t know which one!” She pointed, and Adrien followed her gloved finger.

“That’s Cassiopeia, M’lady.” He chuckled.

“Cassiopeia? What even is that?” Ladybug asked dramatically indignant. Adrien loved how full of life she always was.

“Cassiopeia was Andromeda’s mother, and incredibly arrogant and vain. This led to her downfall when she made Poseidon become irate, and the only solution for it was to sacrifice her own daughter, which was later saved by Perseus. Poseidon still thought that Cassiopeia deserved to be punished so he turned her into a constellation.” He explained.

“Wow, Chat! How do you even know that?” Ladybug looked at him and Adrien could feel her breath on his chin.

“I love astronomy. Feels like it was ages ago since the last time I looked at the stars though.” He stated simply as an image of a green-eyed blonde woman appeared in his head.

“It’s so sad that her daughter almost paid for her arrogance…” He heard her voice quivering with emotion. Adrien turned his head toward his lady. Their lips were so incredibly close to each other, it would be so easy to capture them with his own. But he would never do that. He would never take that step, not without her permission.

Ladybug looked stunning lying on that rooftop. The moonlight gave her this ethereal shine and accentuated the blue highlights of her hair. Her cerulean eyes were piercing his soul, they were so close to each other that he could discern all the different blue tones in them. He could count all the freckles adorning her face, and he swore he saw a subtle red hue spreading on her cheeks. He had stopped breathing. Adrien could no longer feel the chill of the night, only the heat radiating from her skin and breath which ironically made his hair stand on end.

Adrien needed to break their eye contact, or else he didn’t think he would survive, he needed to start breathing again anytime soon, right? Her eyes, however, had trapped him in a hypnotic spell which Adrien was certain he couldn’t escape from, and also, he didn’t want to end this moment so soon.

His heart constricted as he was the first one to look away. He knew he shouldn’t get his hopes up. Ladybug liked another boy, and he should respect that. But the way she was looking at him, could it be? Could she possibly care for him as more than a friend? She was a puzzle in his life, one he couldn’t solve no matter how hard he tried. He shook his head trying to get rid of these thoughts. His Lady wasn’t really his, she liked another boy. Besides, he was already dating Kagami. And Marinette? Marinette was a whole other mystery for him. Wait, why did he suddenly start to think of Marinette? Plagg was right, love was way too complicated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's pretend that light pollution isn't a thing in Paris, and they can see the stars there. They're on the Notre Dame, okay?? It's possible xDD  
> Hope you like this chapter!


	3. Day 3: In Denial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat tells Ladybug that he's a model.

Marinette was in heaven! Gabriel had just released the spring collection and with it, an abundance of brand new ads featuring Adrien! ADRIEN!! So yes, she was glued to her computer watching Adrien strolling down the steps of the Sacre-Coeur like an angel walking on Earth. She kept hitting the replay button, watching that same ad for, well, she stopped counting after the 5th replay. It’s just that he was so perfect! He was wearing a black suit, perfectly tailored for him, and an image of a certain partner of hers kept crossing her mind, setting her body on fire in the most pleasant way.

Marinette shook her head. Why was she thinking of Chat Noir? Especially when Adrien was right in front of her looking at her with his emerald and seductive eyes. “Adrieeeen…” She breathed, the History homework on her desk long forgotten.

Suddenly, and to finally break her out of the Adrien induced trance, a pop-up notification appeared at her screen, signalling it was time for her patrol with Chat Noir.

“Marinette, it’s time for patrol!” Tikki floated right in front of her face preparing to break her out of the Adrien-induced hypnotic spell.

She breathed disappointedly, “I know, Tikki…”, well, she would have stayed all night looking at Adrien’s various photos released throughout the day, but she had a responsibility to Paris, and her kitty was waiting for her. Her heartbeat faster at the thought of Chat Noir and her mood immediately lifted, gracing her lips with a soft smile.

“Alright, Tikki, spots on!” Red and black polka dots replaced her civilian attire, and with a new vigour filling her being, she zipped out of her room towards the Parisian rooftops.

* * *

Chat Noir and she scouted the usual route they did for patrol, and so, as always, they decided to catch a break before they had to go home. That was when she noticed the huge billboard featuring the newest perfume ad from Gabriel, right in front of the rooftop they were resting. 

The ad was in the same setting as the small video she had spent her entire afternoon watching. Adrien in that perfect black suit, leaning on the white travertine stone railing on the Sacre-Coeur’s balcony, with Paris as background, all in all, he looked so handsome, so unattainable that her legs went weak, thank God she was currently sitting, or else, she might have fallen off the rooftop.

Despite all the effort she was making in trying to look cool, especially in front of Chat Noir, who would surely use that moment to tease her, her brain and mouth betrayed her, “Adrieeeen…” She clamped her mouth with her hands as soon as that name had come out. Her heart raced and she was certain that her entire face was the same colour as her suit.

Chat was staring at her as if she had grown a second head, he was gaping like a fish out of water, and Marinette could see how the cogs inside his head were turning as he was figuring out how to react to what just happened.

And then, as if he had restarted, Marinette saw the shit-eating grin forming on his face, and she knew that she was done. Well, she would have to deal with it now, Chat’s teasing was the price she had to pay for being distracted the entire patrol. To be honest, this was all Adrien’s fault for being so perfect, it wasn’t her fault that he was Adonis’ incarnation, and why did Gabriel have to spread all those damn billboards across Paris? Marinette sighed in defeat.

“So, m’lady… are you a fangirl of model boy over there?” Chat wiggled his eyebrows, leaning towards her.

“What?? WHAT??” How would she get out of this? “Pffffft, of course not!” Marinette only needed to keep her cool. She could do that, even if her brain was a jumbled mess. 

“You sure? Well, I must have misheard when you were swooning at the billboard over there.” God, if Chat got any closer, she would explode for sure.

“N-no. No!! I’m not a fan, pffffft.” She chuckled nervously. The trick was to act dumb. That would work. “Like, I don’t even know who that is.” Marinette mentally facepalmed,  _ ‘Not that dumb!’,  _ she thought. 

“Hey, I won’t tease you, m’lady! I’m sure he would be flattered to have you as a fan.” Chat’s cheeks were developing a slight shade of red, for some reason, Marinette couldn’t understand. Did Chat know Adrien personally? Was he jealous? Should Marinette confess that she was indeed a fan of Adrien? That she was more than just a simple fan? 

“Okay, maybe I do appreciate his work, and that is all I will ever tell you!” Marinette huffed, feigning annoyance. Couldn’t a hole suddenly develop right under where she’s sitting and swallow her whole? Was it possible to die of embarrassment? She only hoped that Chat hadn’t noticed how nervous she was. 

“You know, buguinette… If you’re looking for a model to be your muse, I happen to know just the right person.” Why had his voice dropped like that? Was he trying to be seductive? Marinette was finding that it was harder and harder to keep her cool. She was trying not to burst. 

“Uh…. And who might that person be, Chat Noir?” Two could play this game.

“Well, me!” Chat pointed towards himself in excitement, bouncing like a little kid on Christmas morning.

“You?” Marinette quirked an eyebrow. 

“Yes!” 

“You model?” 

“I do! I wasn’t lying when I said I looked irresistible in swim trunks.” Chat winked at her smugly. And that was when Marinette burst out laughing, she just couldn’t keep it together anymore. The idea of Chat having to stay still for the photos, his wild hair being styled by multiple hairdressers, having to wear formal clothes, or haute couture perhaps, it all seemed impossible in her mind.

“I’m sorry, Chat!” She was running out of air from laughing uncontrollably, “I bet all the pics come out blurry!” Tears were falling down her cheeks.

“Hey! I’ll have you know that I’m pretty successful!” He smirked, “I’m an a-meow-zing model, M’lady!” He batted his lashes at her and Marinette was sure that she would die from a laughter attack.

“You’re a dork, that’s what you are!” She lightly punched his arm, finally managing to keep herself together. Chat was an amazing friend, he was always there for her, and he always managed to cheer her up. Marinette was certain that she wouldn’t manage to be Ladybug without him. She couldn’t even imagine her life without her silly kitty by her side. A pleasant warmth spread across her body as she thought of Chat Noir. He was looking at her smiling. His soft emerald eyes had a sparkle that could light up the Eiffel Tower. He had beautiful eyes, she noticed. Almost as beautiful as Adrien’s. 

“Uh… Anyway…” Marinette had to stop freezing at the sight of beautiful green eyes. “I don’t admire Adrien because he’s a model. I, uh…” How could she explain what she felt towards Adrien without giving away her identity, without breaking Chat’s heart in the process? Her gaze drifted to the streets below, in search of the perfect words, “I admire him because of his kindness, because despite everything he went through he still manages to see goodness in everyone, a bit like you to be honest. I, uh, our paths have crossed plenty of times by now, and I happen to know him a bit more personally than his other fans. He’s so patient, Chat! And so humble too! There’s this girl I know, uh, who stutters a lot every time she talks to him, and he has never belittled her for it, he lets her take her time, always with a smile of encouragement on his face. He’s just so good, Chat, and he went through a lot, he still goes through more than any person deserves, but he overcomes all his hardships graciously. The world would be such a better place if only there were more people like him. I’m extremely grateful for having him in my life.” Marinette looked at Chat who was staring at her in awe. 

And it was on that note that Marinette decided to end their night, she had already revealed too much. It was getting harder and harder to hide her identity from Chat. He was her partner. They had saved each other lives multiple times. All Marinette wanted to do sometimes was to just let go of the rules and tell him everything. 

“I have to go now, Chat.”, she had to leave before she did something she might regret later. And so, Marinette ran towards her house, leaving behind an astonished partner sitting on that Parisian rooftop. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo, I'm 2 days late xD.
> 
> I hope you liked this chapter!


	4. Breakdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hawkmoth is defeated. Ladybug and Chat Noir must deal with the consequences.

“Miraculous Ladybug!” Marinette could not drift her gaze from the man sitting on the floor with his head hanging on his hands in shame. It was a mess. Reporters were already shoving their way through the police barrier, shouting all kind of questions she could not discern, the magical ladybugs had restored the previously destroyed manor, and police officers were already rushing inside.

Everything was happening at slow motion and at the same time, her thoughts were racing at the speed of light. She was trapped inside a bubble of shock while she watched Officer Raincomprix and another agent she had never seen before approaching the man pitifully sitting on the floor right in front of her, and Marinette involuntarily took a step back, the remnants of adrenaline and the swirl of emotions from the battle still lingering inside her.

_Adrien…._

Her heart missed a beat at the thought of the boy she loved so dearly. He did not deserve any of this. So many questions resurfaced as she focused on him. Where was he? Was he at his room? Was he seeing what was happening from somewhere else in Paris? Had something happened to him when the mansion was completely wrecked by Chat’s cataclysm?

_Chat…_ Her mind focused on an entirely new subject. Marinette kept looking at Gabriel being escorted handcuffed by the police, narrow cold eyes staring back at her. Her mind, however, could only think of her partner for a reason she could not explain. She finally broke her gaze from Gabriel in search of Chat Noir, and that was when she spotted a black shadow rapidly leaping away from all the commotion around them.

Her instinct ordered her to follow him, and so, without any hesitation, she also leapt away from the scene, ignoring the yelling reporters, ignoring Gabriel’s faithful assistant being carried in a stretcher with an oxygen mask on her face and accompanied by two police officers as well. For whatever reason, all she could think about was her partner and Adrien, but the voice in her head, strangely sounding like Tikki’s, told her to follow Chat Noir, and so she did.

She raced through the rooftops, always behind him in what seemed like an endless chase, until he suddenly stopped on a familiar balcony. A remarkably familiar balcony whose owner she knew was not in her room. Said owner was currently chasing after her partner, leaping from rooftop to rooftop until she could get him. She ignored how much all her muscles were throbbing, still recovering from the exhausting battle they had endured.

Marinette stopped right behind Chat Noir watching as he gripped the iron balcony fence with all his forces, he was shivering uncontrollably despite the warm summer night. A weight dropped in her gut and she felt nauseous.

“Chat?” She approached him slowly as if she were trying to get closer to a scared and wounded animal.

He did not react.

“Chat? Please…” Her gloved hand stretched trying to reach to him. He flinched before she could even touch him.

“Kitty, what’s wrong?” Her voice was quivering. She had thought that defeating Hawkmoth would be a moment of elation, of victory, but all she could feel was defeat. Why did he have to be Gabriel? Paris won that night, but she knew that somewhere in the city, a boy had just lost everything.

She heard Chat releasing a shivering sigh. He had his back turned to her, but Marinette knew that tears were strolling down his face, just like she could feel the moisture in her skin.

“Chat… talk to me… please…” She whispered knowing that she could not control her voice if she talked any louder. Marinette took a step forward.

Chat’s shoulders were shaking, his head was hanging low, staring at the ground below. “We won…” She heard him say. It was supposed to be a celebration, but his toned revealed the complete opposite, it came out as nothing louder than a broken breath. Well, Marinette would have to work with it.

“We did, Kitty…” She smiled softly, her eyes never leaving the back of his head.

She saw him covering his eyes with his hands, his entire weight fully supported by the iron fence of her balcony. “We won…” He repeated, letting out a sad chuckle.

Her heart constricted at the shattered state her partner seemed to be. It didn’t make sense. They had met Gabriel before, but she could never imagine that this would affect Chat Noir so much! Gabriel was a secluded man, the only family she knew he had was Adrien, and, well, he was also close to his assistant Nathalie, he was closer to her than anyone else could ever be. Could Chat be a relative too? Did he know the Agrestes personally? He had said that he was a model, perhaps he has worked with Adrien before. Her thoughts were interrupted by Chat’s quiet sniffs.

Marinette took another step closer to her partner.

“Ladybug…” Her breathing stopped. “You should go… People down there need answers for what happened tonight…” Chat was speaking slowly, his voice unsteady, mirroring his stance.

“Chat…” Was he seriously trying to pretend that everything was fine? “I won’t leave your side… Not like this… Kitty, I care about you!” Her heart doubled its pace.

She saw as he increased his grip on the fence. Marinette heard the dark chuckle Chat emitted. “You care for me, but you don’t love me…” his voice broke in the end as if he were coming to that conclusion as he spoke.

“Kitty…” How was it possible that her chest felt so cold, yet her face was getting warmer and warmer? She was doing everything in her power to be strong for her partner, to contain the tears that were gathering on her eyes.

“It’s okay, Ladybug…” She flinched at his numb statement, the absence of any of the nicknames he had so sweetly given her, to which she always pretended to be offended whenever he used them, heavy in her chest. “I should be used to it… That’s just my life…” Marinette heard him gasp, “I’m unlovable.” He stated as it was a well-known fact, and the coldness she was feeling grew ten-fold.

"I'm unlovable... Isn't it ridiculous?" He suddenly turned to her with a fractured smile adorning his face, with tears streaming down his cheeks, "No matter what I did, I was never enough for him..." He sighed, "I did everything he asked of me, never fought back. The fencing, the Chinese classes, the piano, the ph- photoshoots, it was all for him..."

Her heart shattered as her brain suddenly halted all function. Only one thought was present in her mind.

_ADRIEN._

She was staring at him in shock, suddenly the two boys who threatened to rip her heart in half became one, and he was so broken. Marinette had always thought that Hawkmoth's defeat would be her greatest victory, but it turned out to be his greatest loss.

Chat Noir, Adrien didn't even notice how stunned she was, petrified as her mind zeroed on his face. He wasn't looking at her, instead, his emerald eyes were glued to a spot on the balcony floor, "I did all that for him, and it was never enough", he looked back at her with a broken smile, "It would never be enough. I would never be enough because I'm not her..." he paused, “And she will never come back…”

Her fingers hurt like they were being stabbed by thousands of little pins and needles, she wanted to throw up. Adrien had been the partner who had stood by her side since the beginning, he had died for her. Chat was her kind, gentle and lonely classmate who had spent most of his life trapped in his room. His father, that man used him as a puppet, twisting him and twisting him until he finally broke, drilling into his head that he had to earn love, that he was unlovable because he had not worked hard enough to earn it. Her heart broke for him.

Her hands gripped his shoulders before she even noticed it, "Adrien, look at me." she felt him flinch, and Marinette gathered all her energy to keep herself steady, she couldn't cry now, she needed to be strong for him, "You are enough. You. Are. Enough", she punctuated every word making sure they got into his thick skull. "You are enough for Nino, for Alya, for Chloé, for Kagami, for everyone who ever had the luck of meeting you. You are enough for me! Adrien, we all love you. We love your kindness, your sunshine personality, your infinite patience, and I cannot believe I am going to say this, but I even love your poorly timed puns! So, you, Adrien Agreste, are enough for me!" She did not say the words she wanted to say ever since she had fallen in love with him. He was already overwhelmed by everything that had crashed into his life in the last hours. Marinette decided to wait.

"Marinette..." He closed his eyes, resting his forehead on the top of her hair, she felt his mouth move and a sob racked through his body, "You are m’lady…", her heart stopped, and she felt like her spirit had left her body as she heard those words. She knew who he was. He knew who she was. The secrets between them had finally ceased to exist.

“Marinette…” Adrien repeated her name, and she felt the water pooling from his eyes, as sobs and gasps replaced any coherent speech he had intended to make.

Adrien lost his forces and dragged them both to the balcony's wooden floor, he hugged her deeply. She was his lifeline, connecting him to this cold new reality. She hugged him back, his head resting on the crook of her neck while she softly petted the back of his soft hair, while earth-shattering sobs shook his entire form. Marinette finally let go of the tears gathered in her own eyes. Tomorrow she could tell the world what had happened that night. Tomorrow she could deal with the stolen miraculous that were finally back to where they belonged. Tomorrow she could tell him that she had always and would always love him. Now though, all that mattered was to survive the night, all that mattered was him and only him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I still don't know if I'm going to do all the prompts, I really wanted to write this one though. Maybe later I will do the missing days xD  
> Hope you like this!

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! I'm back! Okay, I know that this is not an update for FT buuuut, it's Ladynoir July, and I'm Ladynoir trash, okay?? I promise I'm working on FT.  
> Anyway, I hope you like this, and if you do, don't forget to leave kudos or a comment so I can know what you think!


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